Space Bound
by The Official Demonator
Summary: Ratchet thought that when he finally found the femme 'of his dreams', it'd be easy sailing after that. A little over a year later and he finds out just how wrong he was. Love will be tested and secrets will be unmasked. Ratchet/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I apologize for the long Author's Note, but it is important that you read it real quick!**

**This is another Ratchet/OC fic I'm doing with my OC, Demonator. It's technically a 'sequel', even though I'm still re-writing the first one, but to be honest, you don't need to read the first one to understand much in this story. But, if there's something you don't get, shoot me a message and I'll gladly answer questions and explain things!**

**Also, it's wise to point out that just because Demonator and Ratchet are an 'item', they are not bonded. They have no children, either. This story will also focus on that as well as all the secrets he uncovers about her.**

**So.. once again, if you have any questions, I encourage that you ask! :) Thank you!**

_**The Official Demonator**_

**Quick note: I do not own the name 'Rammunition'. I got that name from Monster Jam, so whoever owns the real monster truck named 'Rammunition', they obviously own it! :P**

_**P.S. The name Rammunition is pronounced like the word 'ammunition' but with the 'R' in the front. xD Just in case people have a problem with it! A lot of people found it difficult to pronounce 'Demonator'.. xD so better safe than sorry!**_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

"_Next_," Megatron's voice echoed and bounced off numerous walls. His tone was full of annoyance. Why was it so hard to find decent recruits? Sitting on his throne, chin in the palm of his hand, looking bored, his optics perked when a younger femme stood before him. Well, she had the looks. Now all he had to do was see if she had the name and the guts. "Name?"

"Rammunition," she told him.

_Rammunition?_ He thought to himself. Very powerful name. She must've been a strong warrior. After all, it was true that Decepticons got their names by how well they do in battle.

"And why, _Rammunition,"_ he snarled, entwining his fingers together and placing both his hands on his lap. "should I choose _you_?"

At this, she smirked. She knew before she even stood in front of him that she would soon be on his team. She had a little secret that nobody else knew about.. and it would help her get what she needed.

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><p>"Oh, shit!"<p>

A loud clank made all heads turn in the direction in which it came from. When they did, all of the Autobots and some of the humans almost ran for their lives. Sideswipe, who had been playing with 'pebbles' that were really the size of human-beings, launched one in the air, completely unaware of the trajectory, and cringed when it nailed Demonator, the former Decepticon who was now an Autobot for over a year, in the head.

She scowled, immediately placing a hand on the throbbing area. Optics glowing redder than usual, she spun around and glared daggers at the twin prankster. "What the hell was that for?"

He instantly dropped the rocks in his hands and raised them defensively. "Dude- I mean.. Demonator, I had _no_ idea you were standing there until after I threw it.. I swear to Primus!"

She growled, clenching her other hand into a fist. "Stop throwing rocks, you afthole. There are humans around here. This is gonna leave a dent.." she muttered, hand still to her head as she walked away.

Today wasn't really Demonator's day. She had just gotten back from a mission and had snapped multiple, highly sensitive cables. If she thought _that_ was humiliating, the lecture from Ratchet was much worse. He claimed she should have taken it easier and that if she kept up her behavior, there may not be a next mission.

Now she'd probably be receiving another one. He would probably tell her that she was foolish for standing in the way of Sideswipe and his awful aiming abilities. The only time he was ever accurate was when he was in the middle of a battle.

"Wait up!" Demonator sighed heavily when she heard the sound of footsteps following her. She continued to walk, hoping she would be able to ditch him. Any other day, she would have enjoyed his company, but today, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody. Sideswipe had grown close to her over the last seven months. A hand on her shoulder made her stop abruptly. "Are you ok-"

"Sideswipe, please go away," Demonator sighed, trying her best to calm herself down so she didn't snap too hard on him. "I'll talk to you later."

Sideswipe's hand fell to his side and he watched her continue on walking to the med bay."..Alright."

When Demonator stepped foot inside the massive working station and quarters of Ratchet, she let out a huff of air. The noise was loud enough for him to hear, despite being so busy on his data pad, and he curiously lifted his head to look at her. After examining her for a split second, one optic squinted in slight confusion, his lips trembled into a smirk as sudden amusement took over. "What happened to your head?"

She shot him a dirty look, not because of the question, but because of the amusement he seemed to be getting out of it. "Sideswipe and his usual shenanigans. I'll be fine." She nodded at the data pad. "What're you up to?"

He shrugged, looking down at the data pad with obvious boredom. "The usual. Work, work and more work. Optimus is having me double the check-ups. More Decepticon activity lately, so.. we can't afford to have a messed-up processor go off on a mission."

"Then why are we still sending out Sunny and Sides?" She joked, grinning and sitting down on the nearest chair.

"I've already mentioned that point," he smiled. Then he quickly changed the subject. "Everybody's asking questions." He looked away, almost scared to look her in the optic as he spoke.

Demonator had to take a second or two to realize what he said. It almost sounded like a grumble. "Asking what?" Before he could reply, she added, "Us?"

He nodded slowly, finally looking back up at her. "Yes. They want to know when the ceremony will be." He half-smiled.

She sighed so hard, it almost sounded like a growl. Ratchet frowned at this, but before he could say anything at all, she interrupted. "Ratchet, you know I'm not r-"

"I know, I know," He replied quickly and sighed back. "And I'm not trying to rush you, but don't you think we've been together for long enough?" He stood up, walking around his desk and over to her. He took her hands in his, running his thumbs over top. "If I'm going to be with you, I might as well be a part of you."

To his surprise, she pulled her hands back gently. She looked away. "Ratchet, I'm not ready. There's a lot I need to think about. A bond is forever, and don't think that means I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you, because I do want to, but I just can't imagine calling myself a bonded femme right now."

"That makes absolutely no sense," he told her with a smirk. Then he sighed. "I understand, Demon. No rush, like I said."

She watched him turn around to head back to his chair, feeling guilty for turning him down once again. In all honesty, there _was_ a reason why she refused to bond, but she knew he would never understand. Most mechs and femmes bond shortly after they show their love for one another, but Ratchet and Demonator were well past their first year and still no bond.

"What, interfacing isn't enough for you?" She suddenly blurted, a clear smirk plastered across her face.

He looked around quickly, as if somebody else were in the room with them. Optics wide, he re-directed them back to her. "Demonator!"

She shrugged innocently with a childish grin. "What? It's the truth, isn't it?"

"No!"

Still chuckling, she took a sigh of compressed air and folded her arms. Turning around to leave, arms still tightly wound together, she stopped, back facing Ratchet. "I'll consider the bonding a little more, but no guarantees right away, Dr. Nymphomaniac."

"Oh, go get hit by a rock."

With a roar of laughter, Demonator pushed through the med bay doors to head back outside.

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><p><strong>If anybody has any questions, lemme know! I'll gladly answer any. Also, for the 'Decepticons get there names by how well they do in battle' part, it's entirely made up by me. I'm not saying that's how they get it, but I've always wondered, so that's what I came up with. ;D<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**One Day Later**

Everybody on base scattered as dust and other debris kicked up about a half a mile ahead. Soldiers, including the Autobots, readied their weapons in case they would be needed. This unidentified object was hurdling at them fast.

"Hold your fire!" Lennox yelled. "Could either be an Autobot ally or a Decepticon, so keep those weapons ready!"

Optimus Prime stood not too far away, battle mask ready, examining the tiny object that got larger with each passing second. He could sense and see the tension building up in every single person that was in his sight. Ironhide, especially, seemed to have the urge to fire his cannons the most.

Not even three minutes later and the unknown Cybertronian had gotten about two hundred feet away from the base and seemed to be slowing down. Everybody's guard rose higher at this point.

"Keep holding," Lennox warned, his hand high in the air. The vehicle came to a halt. Dust encircled the Cybertronian's alternate mode before slowly fading away.

**:Vehicle identified as Dodge Ram, Prime: Ironhide**

**:Acknowledged. Prime out: Optimus. **The Autobot leader stepped forward. "Show yourself."

There was a long, impatient pause from the vehicle, but no transformation. Before Prime could repeat himself a bit louder and harsher, and before Ironhide could let loose an entire magazine of cannon fire, the Ram began to move. Parts broke and reassembled themselves in new shapes and sizes. As the Cybertronian got taller, its body shape got slimmer.

**:Identified as femme: Ironhide**_**. **_He paused and then added, **:Decepticon:** His cannons seemed to spin even more violently than before and his optics slit into glares.

Prime only nodded. "What is your designation?" He eyed the femme 'Con curiously and as an afterthought, added, "and purpose?"

Everybody held their breath and watched the maroon-colored femme cautiously. Before she could reply, somebody else did for her. "Rammunition."

Every soldier flinched when that familiar voice replied. Ratchet, like just about everybody else who stood nearby, turned to look at Demonator.

"You know this femme?" Ratchet asked.

Rammunition folded her arms and spoke next, to everybody's surprise. "Demonator is my-"

"_Sister_," Demonator finished for her, almost abruptly. "She's my sister." She shot Rammunition a dark look as gasps erupted around them.

Ratchet's optics twitched in a glare. "You never told me you had a sister!"

Demonator's red, piercing optics never left Rammunition's even more ruby, intimidating ones. "It never mattered."

The maroon femme snorted. "Yeah, I didn't matter, huh? You were always such a good liar, Demona-"

Before anybody had time to stop her, Demonator growled and pounced. Both femmes hit the ground hard, Demonator on top.

"_Woah, woah!" _Lennox yelled, raising both of his arms horizontally to his sides as soldiers around him looked as if they were aiming their weapons and placing their fingers on the triggers."Hold your fire! Don't shoot!" A few soldiers looked back at him anxiously.

"Demonator! Knock this off!" Ratchet yelled. When she didn't seem to listen, he reached out and grabbed for her. When he did, he got lucky and managed to get a good, firm grip on her arm. Pulling her away, she growled harshly as both of them collided, making Ratchet lose his balance and stumble over. Once again, Demonator on top.

"Get off me!" Demonator growled, pulling herself up, but when she was back on her feet, Ratchet grabbed her again and she could not escape his grip.

Optimus directed one hand at Ironhide and another at Rammunition. "Restrain her." Ironhide did as told, looking almost excited to do so, and held her rather tightly from behind by the left shoulder as his right-armed cannon pointed in her face. Optimus faced Ratchet. "Brig."

Ratchet was about to protest, but when he saw the stern look Optimus was giving him, he knew there was no arguing. He nodded, turned around with Demonator still in his grip and headed for the 'holding cell' that had been recently installed mainly for the use of Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Wheelie, Brains, the Wreckers or any other Autobot who needed time alone with their thoughts about the wrong-doings they had done.

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><p>"Would you at least <em>look <em>at me?" Demonator growled just as the cell door closed in her face.

As Ratchet turned the cybertronian key one final time, he glared daggers at her. "Why?" He hissed, yanking the key out of the hole violently. "Does it _bother_ you? Huh? Good! Because I _enjoy_ making you suffer." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Especially now that I know you've kept a potentially _huge_ secret from me!"

"What difference does it make?" She yelled back, gripping the bars tightly. If it were any other metal, they would've snapped in half under her grip.

"A big, fragging difference!" Ratchet told her, using his hands as emphasis. "And not because you have a sister, but the fact that you kept her a secret from me!" He shook his head with a sigh. "It almost makes me wonder what _else_ you're hiding from me."

That was when she dug her face plates further into the metal, almost begging him with her eyes to believe her. "Nothing!"

He turned away, unable to look at her anymore. "It's bad enough I was the one to lock you in here. Now my trust with you is disappearing."

At that point, Demonator would rather have been hit with a speeding freight train. Her optics dimmed, her fingers loosened their grip on the bars and she backed away slowly. Transforming into her alternate mode, she sat there alone in the dark.

With a heavy release of air, Ratchet slowly turned around and walked out of the brig.

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><p>"Rammunition, correct?" Optimus asked as he sat down behind his desk. The new female sat down on the other side.<p>

She nodded. "That's right." She folded her legs and leaned back in the chair further.

"I'm just going to assume that you're switching sides and joining us," He told her, bluntly. "It's not every day that a Decepticon puts his or herself in plain sight just to start trouble on the base here."

There was a snort from Rammunition. "I only came because of Demonator," she admitted. "Not to switch sides."

"Your sister, correct?" Optimus asked, waiting for a confirmation.

There was a pause as the femme stared blankly at Prime for a few moments. Then she nodded. "Correct."

At that point, Ratchet had walked in the office. Usually any other mech wouldn't be allowed to waltz in during the middle of an interrogation, but considering Ratchet was going through a lot, Optimus would allow it just once. He continued. "Older? Or younger?"

"Younger," Rammunition replied with a slight nod.

That was when Optimus and Ratchet exchanged confused, almost worried, glances. "I was told by Demonator that her mother passed away shortly after she was born."

Rammunition's optics flashed, but her reply was quick. "Like I said earlier. Demonator was always a liar. I can already tell she still hasn't changed. She's been the same since she left Shockwave."

"Shockwave?" Ratchet interrupted. "She never mentioned anything to me about _him_."

"Are you surprised?" Rammunition asked, her tone dry. She rolled her optics. "Demonator is nothing special. Don't get your gears all in a knot for her. I'm assuming you're her spark mate?"

Ratchet folded his arms with a frown. "Mates, but not bonded."

"Figures," she sighed. "Demonator always left her mates before they could bond. She's a _harlot_,"

That was when Ratchet unfolded his arms and went to snap back a quick response, but Optimus stood up. "Ratchet. I allow you in here to _listen_, not start chaos. Please, let Rammunition speak to us _before_ we act upon anything."

"Liar or not, harlot or not, Demonator is still my mate and I will n-_not_ allow this.. this _Decepticon _to speak that way about her in my presence!" Ratchet's voice was shaken, both of his fists to his sides. It was rare to see the medic stutter like a moron. Optimus knew he had to do something before the CMO did something he would regret.

"Perhaps it's wise that you step outside for a few moments," Optimus suggested.

"I will suffice just fine here," Ratchet replied rather calmly, his glare still sticking Rammunition like a hot, iron knife.

Optimus sighed heavily before returning his attention back to the femme before him. "I understand that you're here for Demonator, but, may I ask why? Not to insult you, but you've done nothing but bad-talk her during your stay."

"You think I came here for my own needs," Rammunition smirked. The sentence was more of a statement than a question. She shook her head and exhaled. "I came here because Shockwave requested I bring her back to Cybertron. Megatron was recruiting some new soldiers for him to get the job done and I just so happened to be there at the right time and place. Demonator doesn't know that Megatron and Shockwave are working together again, so it's wise that remains a secret."

"Why would Shockwave want Demonator?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus shot him a warning glance before waiting for Rammunition's reply. She rolled her optics. "Because Shockwave was one of the _many_ mechs she was involved with that she fragged over. He wants her back because apparently, she was the best thing that ever happened to him." She shrugged. "I guess he missed her."

Optimus furrowed his eye ridges at his old friend. He would never understand the pain his CMO was feeling at that exact moment. He ran a hand over his face plates. "What are his intentions with her? Doesn't she consider him more of a father?"

At this, she shrugged once more. "I don't know. To bond? To create sparklings so they can run in his place? Who knows. And no. He didn't necessarily raise her himself. He had servants do all of that. He hardly saw her when she was young because he knew one day, she would be his. Look, I don't know that much. All I know is, I was sent here with the intention of getting her back for him."

"Well you can tell Shockwave that she is happily taken and will not be returning to the likes of _him,_" Ratchet snarled furiously.

Rammunition glared at him. "Says the one who locked her in the _brig._" Ratchet looked away and took a deep intake of air before releasing it all at once. His fists uncurled and his fingers twitched. The femme returned her gaze back to the leader. "I'm due to bring her back sometime this week. If I'm not back by then, they will know something is wrong and bring reinforcements. And yes," she paused. "they will be strong enough to take out the entire base and you along with it."

All were silent. Optimus scanned her face for a hint of any kind of lie. When he found none, he looked back at Ratchet very slowly. "Report to Lennox. Tell him we need strategies."

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><p><em>I do not own the following:<em> **The movie Transformers and its human characters, any of the Autobots, any of the Decepticons, blahblah..**

**All I own is my OCs, Demonator and Rammunition. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I really hope more people give this story a chance. I have a biiggg plot ahead of it and if I write it all correctly, this should be my best story yet. :)**

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><p>"I don't see why you don't just activate that holoform of yours to roam the base freely," An all-too familiar and obnoxious voice, to Demonator, spoke. Demonator looked up, her ruby optics slit.<p>

"What? You think I'm that stupid?" Demonator scoffed. "No can do. These bars are made with special metals that prevent me from doing just that. Energon technology."

"When are you going to tell them the truth?" Rammunition folded her arms. She was in holoform mode mainly because it was too risky coming down to the brig in her entire bipedal mode. She wasn't necessarily tall, but she was average height, wasn't extremely thin but just right and long, straight/wavy-ish black hair just a little before the middle of her back. Her eyebrow arched as she waited for a response.

"What _truth_?" Demonator growled back, rising to her feet. She, too, folded her arms and waited.

Rammunition rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about. Learn how to tell the truth for once."

Demonator unfolded her arms and grasped the bars angrily. "You have _no_ right coming here and ruining my life like this!" Her dental plates ground together. "If anybody's the dirty, lying harlot, it's you! So frag off! I don't care about anything anymore! And yes, in case you are wondering, that includes _you!_"

"Oh really?" Rammunition growled. "So I guess you wouldn't care if I told Ratchet that the reason you two aren't bonded yet is because you're _already bonded to me_?"

"_What_?"

Both femmes froze. Demonator's optics slid over Rammunition and landed in the shadows behind her. She wasn't surprised to see a pair of glowing, sapphire optics staring back at her. Ratchet stepped forward, from the shadows. His face looked horrified. He looked betrayed.

"Ratchet, she's a liar-"

"Is it true?" Ratchet interrupted. "And don't you _dare_ lie to me, Demonator!"

"It is true!" Rammunition replied for her, shooting Demonator a dark look.

"No!" Demonator half-yelled, but ended up slumping back to the ground on her knees. Her hands still gripped the bars as she stared at the ground ahead of her. "I- I wish it weren't true." A single drop of liquid rolled down her face plates from her optic.

The maroon femme glared down at her. "You _what_?" She laughed bitterly. "Are you slagging kidding me? You're the one who came to _me_, confessing your dying love! And now you suddenly wish you hadn't?"

"I met somebody better than you, that's why!" Demonator yelled furiously, standing up. She found the courage to look back at Ratchet, despite the hurtful look she was receiving. "He's everything to me. He's all I could ever ask for and the one thing in my way of being with him for the rest of my life is the one who I never wanted!"

"How can you even say something like that!" Rammunition replied, her arms still tightly wound together.

"How _could_ you?" Ratchet's words came out as a mere whisper. "All this time of thinking you were faithful. That you were the one for me-"

"I still am!" Demonator nearly pleaded, moving over to the other side of the cell so she was standing directly in front of him. "Believe me. Please. Please, Ratchet."

"I'm sorry, but," he shook his head and slowly backed away. His eyes drifted down to the ground. "I can't. Not anymore."

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><p>The next day came all too quickly. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker decided it was okay to slack around a bit and walk around the base.<p>

"Did you see what Ratchet was doing this morning?" Sunstreaker asked his brother as they continued to walk, ignoring Ironhide's glares every time they crossed paths with the ancient warrior.

Sideswipe had a funny feeling it had to do with who he thought it did and looked over, concerned. "No. What?"

"I stopped in to get a scan and he was packing all of Demonator's stuff away. " Sunstreaker told him. "He looked really upset, too. He hardly spoke a word to me the whole time. Pit, I even tried messing with him. Didn't even _yell_ at me. Think it has to do with the new femme?"

Sideswipe shrugged, but deep inside, he was very much concerned. "I don't know. Hey, I'll talk to you later." Turning around quickly, he headed for the brig.

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><p>Demonator sat there alone for the second day in the cell. She was losing energon fast. The others would bring her some every few hours, but she refused to take it. She almost prayed she would offline soon. Anything to keep her away from the agony dwelling within her.<p>

"Demon?"

Sideswipe peaked out through the darkness ahead.

"You should leave before you get caught, Sides." She didn't even have to look at his face to know who he was.

He ignored her comment and stepped closer to the cell. His fingers wrapped around the bars and gripped them tightly. "Look what you're doing to yourself in there." He examined her dim-lit optics, her worn out armor and her slumped figure. She looked weaker than he'd ever seen.

"Yeah, so what?" She growled back. "If I'm going to be treated like a prisoner I might as well look and die like one."

"Demon," Sideswipe sighed heavily, releasing the bars. "You're not being treated like a prisoner." His voice was soft and cautious. He sounded gentle. Like a mother talking to her young child. "You're here so you don't kill your sister." Demonator growled at that and Sideswipe raised an eye ridge. "Is she why Ratchet was packing your equipment away? Is she why he's upset?"

She looked hurt when he said that. Her optics drifted away to stare at the dark abyss behind him. "Rammunition is not my sister."

To the Autobots, Sideswipe may have been a nuisance and a giant aft-hole. He may have acted like an idiot from time to time, but he wasn't stupid at all. It was obvious. Demonator and Ratchet together for over a year. No bond. Ratchet trying to get Demonator to bond with him. Her constant refusal. It all added up. "She's your sparkmate," he paused. "Isn't she?"

Demonator could admit she was a bit shocked. "How do you know?" Then she shrugged it off before he could reply. Everybody probably knew by now. "Yeah, that's why."

"Primus," Sideswipe whistled. "That's hot-I mean.. I-I see." She scowled at him as she bent forward to get a firm hold on the bars to help hull herself up from the ground and on her feet. "You look like Jetfire all hunched up like that. Get some energon in your system before I shove a canister down your goddamn throat."

Demonator's head slowly rose back up to stare him in the face. "You don't hate me?"

Sideswipe jerked back at that, a look of total disbelief masking his face plates. "Hate you?" He laughed out loud. "Demon, you're my best bud. Primus, didn't I tell you I'd always have your back? Ratchet'll get over it. If he doesn't, then he's clearly not the one for you. You made a mistake. You hid a secret. We all have secrets. Get over yourself, you giant aft." He smirked. "Stop feeling sorry for everything."

"Ahem," Sideswipe nearly dove to the ground when he heard the familiar voice behind him clear his throat. He turned to see Optimus. "Sideswipe, why are you down here?"

"He was just.. pep-talking me, is all," Demonator said. "He was just about to leave."

Optimus only nodded as he got to his point. "I've come to unlock you." He dangled the key in front of her. "Though, supposedly you are forbidden to go in the med bay."

"Just get me out of here," Demonator growled. "I'm not in the mood to talk about Ratchet. Actually," she paused to back away from the bars as Optimus put the key in the key hole. "I'm not in the mood to talk to anybody about it except Sideswipe."

Sideswipe felt special at those words. "Glad to be of service, my femme-mech friend." When the gate was open, he stepped aside, allowing Demonator to walk/limp her way past. With a smirk at Optimus, he followed her out of the brig.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for the reviews!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**There's some minor f-bomb usage in here. Just sayin'. ;D**

**I hope nobody gets offended that two femmes are spark-mated. xD Just an fyi, they aren't actually sisters. It was just a coverup. (just in case some of ya didnt know!) In all honesty, I get a little tired of seeing the old-school male/female pairings, and I see nothing wrong with 'gay' 'lesbian' or 'bisexual' hahah (since I happen to like both genders myself, so I can relate) I figured this would be something different and interesting at the same time. **

**Again, I apologize in advance for those of you who are having second thoughts on this story because of that. ^.^ If it helps, there really won't be much fluff at all between Demon and Ram!**

**Thank you all for the reviews! :)**

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><p>"So, now that you're free, talk to me." Sideswipe sat himself down on the ground, in the middle of the base. He usually didn't care if he was blocking the way of any soldiers and whatnot. He was, after all, known as the 'afthole of the base'.<p>

Demonator sighed, a large cup of energon in her hand as she sat next to her friend. She took a giant gulp of it before she talked. It felt good to feel her blood rushing back to her cables. "Basically, Ratchet hates my guts. What else is there to talk about?"

Sideswipe shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I mean, you don't _like_ this Rammunition girl still, do you?" When Demonator paused, Sideswipe growled and wiped a hand down his face. "Demon, you can't expect to get back with Ratchet if you can't make up your mind. Either you like her, or you hate-"

"Sideswipe, you don't understand," she began, optics burning back into his own. "I'm _bonded_ to her for a reason. Those feelings don't just get up and walk away."

Sideswipe shuffled a bit nervously. Although he was a good friend of the femme before him, he was still _Sideswipe_. He didn't have the slightest clue as to how to make a femme feel better about her insecurities. "What about Ratchet?"

Demonator shrugged harshly. "What _about_ Ratchet?"

"What about your feelings for him? Strong? Weak?" He paused. "Just answer this for me instead; why did you leave Rammunition?"

Demonator paused and had a look on her face that almost told Sideswipe _she_ didn't even know. Her fingers dug into the ground around her uncomfortably. "You have to understand," Demonator began. "I was slagging stupid back on Cybertron. I could never make up my mind about who I wanted to bond with and live with for the rest of my life. I tried so many mechs and none of them were for me. Except one."

"Ratchet?" Sideswipe guessed.

Demonator shot him a dark look. "I said when I was still on Cybertron. I didn't _know_ Ratchet at the time." Then she sighed gently. "I'm talking about Shockwave."

Sideswipe's optics widened extraordinarily large. "_Shockwave_? How the- _why_? Of all mechs!"

Demonator growled at him. "Shockwave had his servants take care me from day one! My real creators were killed in battle. I remember being alone, cold, in the dark. My systems were malfunctioning. I couldn't fend for myself. I was just a sparkling. I remembered these 'Cons coming up to me. I was scared. They offered me energon and I realized they were there to help me."

"So, you were never actually born a 'Con? You were made one?"

Demonator shook her head. "No that's not how it works. My parents were Decepticons, so technically, yes, I was born one."

"Okay, so, regardless. Doesn't that make Shockwave a bit _too_ old for you?" Sideswipe looked as if he were about to puke energon.

"Shockwave refused to show his face to me until I was old enough," she explained. "His servants always used to come to me with gifts saying, 'Shockwave gives you this' or 'Shockwave gives you that', but I never actually _knew_ who Shockwave was. If anything, I assumed he was somebody my age, or maybe a new higher-being the Decepticons worshipped other than Primus. Then, one day, one of the servants, who was known as Avenger, came to me and told me Shockwave wanted to see me. Face to face."

"And you went?" Sideswipe asked, even though it was an obvious answer.

"Yes," she continued, looking up at the sky. "I was nervous. I didn't know what his intentions were with me. Then, when I saw him, I couldn't believe it. He looked so powerful sitting the way he was, with that Driller beast surrounding him like a veil. That single optic of his burned through me. I could tell he was just as perplexed. He kept staring at me awkwardly. I remembered Avenger bowing down as low as possible and saying, 'I take it you like what you see?'. Shockwave said nothing but nod his head. I assumed he wasn't much of a talker."

Sideswipe laughed and shook his head. "Wow. That's fragged up. Seriously. Did he force you to like him?" He raised an optic ridge, now looking more concerned.

Demonator sighed and shook her head. Her gaze was now directed towards the medical bay. "No. We ended up spending time together. He took me to places, talked to me a lot and sooner or later, I realized that maybe he wasn't so bad. Then, I came to him with some news."

"What was the news?" Sideswipe asked, looking impatient.

Demonator made eye contact and laughed. "I told him I wasn't just interested in mechs. I figured he deserved to know. After all, he had spent so many years raising me. Er, well, his servants did at least."

Sideswipe looked even more interested at this point. "How'd he take it? What did he say?"

"You won't even believe it," Demonator smirked.

"Tell me!" Sideswipe grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "I wanna know! Not fair."

She sighed. "He looked around at all the femmes nearby, pointed to them all with his hand and said, 'pick one and she's yours'." She laughed at the look Sideswipe was giving her. "I know. I was very confused. First of all, he was letting me pick a femme of my own. Secondly, I thought to myself, didn't he want _me_? Why would he want me to get with somebody else?"

"Soooo," Sideswipe rolled his hand impatiently. "Come on, tell me the rest!"

"I did what he offered. I picked a femme," she sighed and directed her attention over to the Autobot hangar. Sideswipe followed her gaze and sure enough, his optics landed on Rammunition.

"It was her," Sideswipe began. He looked over at Demonator again. "Wasn't it?"

Demonator exhaled and stared down at the ground blankly. She nodded. "Yup." Taking another inhale, she directed her optics back to the sky. "Turns out, I started to like her more than Shockwave and we fled that part of Cybertron together and hid from everybody. Of course, this was back when Megatron wasn't working with Shockwave at the time. So, I found Megatron and he took us in."

"Okay, I'm lost." Sideswipe admitted. "I thought Megatron was the leader of the Decepticons. So, how does Shockwave have his own 'Con servants, if he's not leader?"

"Shockwave is a very powerful Cybertronian. There was a time when Megatron and Shockwave worked together. Megatron gave Shockwave his own army. When they split apart, Shockwave threatened to kill any of his Decepticons who betrayed him and left to re-join with Megatron. That's how. Anyway, I told Megatron about everything and he kept us. This was back when he wasn't an afthole," she growled, rolling her optics. "Later, things got difficult with me and Rammunition. She went off on a mission without me and never came back. I was left alone with Megatron and the Fallen. That's when all that stuff happened a year ago. Now, here I am."

"I feel like I'm about to go into forced stasis," Sideswipe chuckled. "Primus, that's a really complicated story."

Demonator shrugged. "Yeah, it's confusing, but, it's my life, so I can't help it." A yellow/green-ish blur caught her attention from the corner of her optic and she directed her head towards it. She almost regretted doing so when she realized it was Ratchet.

Sideswipe noticed this and nudged her arm with his elbow gently. "Go try and talk to him."

She shook her head. "He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Then tell him too fucking bad," he muttered. "You know, he still loves you, right? I'm telling you. I've known Ratchet waaay longer than you have. He's mad at you, but he _wants_ you to talk to him. Trust me."

"I don't know what to say that I haven't said already," she admitted.

"You're both so stubborn. No _wonder_," he growled. "If you don't go talk to him, I'm dragging him over here." Before Demonator could protest, he began to stand up.

"Sides!" She yelled out, but it was too late. He was already walking ahead of her. She scrambled to her feet and by the time she did so, she watched impatiently as Sideswipe spoke to Ratchet. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but by the look on Sideswipe's face, he was probably asking him to talk to her. Her spark sank when she saw Ratchet shake his head and start to walk away.

"Don't be an afthole!" she managed to hear Sideswipe yell and grab Ratchet's arm.

"Get off me!" Ratchet growled back, yanking his arm away. "If she wants to talk to me, then she can come meet _me_!" Sideswipe watched him stomp off.

Demonator folded her arms as Sideswipe walked back over to her. "He's so fragging stubborn," she huffed.

Sideswipe's hands fell to his sides and he glared at her. "Are you kidding me? You're both the same! Go talk to him," he muttered the last part and began to walk away. "I'm going to get a cup of high-grade and forget all about this."

When he was out of sight, Demonator turned her attention back to the direction of the med bay. "Well," she said to herself, arms folded. "If he wants me to come to him, then that's fine by me." Unfolding her arms, she exhaled one last time before walking forward.

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhangers just suck, don't they? ;P Just a quick, little chapter to help try and explain things further. Plus, I wanted to get Sideswipe and Demonator's friendship shown in the story a bit more.<strong>

**I know this chapter might've been a bit too confusing. If anybody has any questions, please ask! :D Either something may not make sense or I accidentally screwed up somewhere. ^.^ My memory tends to suck from time to time.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Why does she have to have so many tools?" Ratchet mumbled to himself as he continued to pack the last of Demonator's tools away in a box. Finally, when he was done, he picked the heavy box up and went to turn around to carry it to the corner where he had placed her other ones.

"What're you doing?"

The unexpected voice made him jump and he ended up dropping all the tools. The box tipped over on its side as it impacted the floor and all of its contents spilled out. Instead of bending down to pick them up, he continued to stare at the intruder.

"Why are you here?" He asked her.

Demonator stepped forward, arms folded. She looked down at the tools and then back up at him. "Ratchet, we need to talk."

"Then talk."

She exhaled and unfolded her arms. "Ratchet, you know I lo-"

"_Stop right there_," he commanded, shutting his optics tight and placing a hand in front of himself. "How long is it going to take you to understand that I'm sick of the lies-"

"That _isn't_ a lie!" Demonator yelled, her fists clenching to her sides. She pointed an accusing finger his way. "_You_ should have trusted me! But instead, you went and listened to all the things that _bitch_ had to say about me! You believed her before you had time to hear my side of it!"

"You never _told_ me! You kept all those secrets from me!" He managed to yell back, still a tad shocked about her random shouting.

"And you wonder why," she growled, shooting him a look of disgust. "If I would have, you would've taken it just the way you are now! Packing away all my slagging tools, ignoring everything I have to say. That's pathetic, Ratchet!"

"It's all pathetic!" He shouted back, slumping to the ground, face in his hands. "I can't handle this anymore. I really can't. You need to leave. I don't want to deal with this right now."

Demonator's shoulders slumped. Slowly, she walked over to Ratchet. Sitting next to him quietly, she placed an arm over his back and a hand on his shoulder. He flinched under her touch but calmed down just as fast. Using her other hand, she managed to slip it under his chin and lift his head up to look at her. "I don't know exactly how your trust is with me right now, but I'm going to do whatever it takes for us to be happy again. I'm sorry that all of these secrets had to come out the way they did. I know I can never take it all back, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry for ever hurting you."

Leaning his face closer to hers, she expected forgiveness and she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact, but instead Ratchet froze. Very lightly, almost making it impossible for her to hear, he whispered, "Just give_ up_, Demonator."

Her optics shot open and she watched as he stood up, making her arm fall heavily down to the ground, and walk out of the med bay. She was left alone.

* * *

><p>As Ratchet wondered the base to have time alone with his thoughts, he couldn't help but think about the previous events. Ratchet was known on base as having a sharp CPU. He was known for having something to say to every situation. He was smart, brave, an excellent soldier and Cybertronian, but why he was feeling this way was beyond him.<p>

Demonator. Was she not the femme who betrayed him? If that were true, why was he feeling the way he was? It was taking everything inside him to prevent himself from running to her and forgiving her, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything. He needed to be stronger than that.

As he kept on walking, he heard something in the distance. A song. Turning his head, he saw a familiar, silver Corvette sitting nearby, the holoform of Sideswipe leaning against the side, talking to a few soldiers, arms folded. The song was coming from his speakers and for some reason, the first person who came in his mind was the one he tried so desperately to keep out of it.

_I'm a space bound rocket ship  
>and your heart's the moon<br>and I'm aiming right at you.  
>Right at you.<em>

_Two-hundred-fifty thousand miles  
>on a clear night in June<br>and I'm aiming right at you.  
>Right at you.<br>Right at you._

Then came the next verse with a bunch of f-words and the next thing Ratchet knew, Optimus was telling Sideswipe to shut the music off and Lennox held Sarah back as she yelled at the young mech about Annabelle repeating the words.

Usually such a scene would put a small smile on Ratchet's face, but all he could do was sigh and continue on walking. He scowled suddenly, hitting his head. Those lyrics. They burned in the back of his CPU.

"What's up with you?" Ratchet's head snapped in the direction of the voice.

He frowned, "Nothing, Ironhide. Why?"

Ironhide unfolded his arms, but his left eye ridge remained arched. "Nothing, eh? Come on, Ratch' Don't give me that slag. There's something up with you and Demonator. Talk to me."

"Why should I discuss the matter with you?" Ratchet's optics slit in a tight glare. He understood Ironhide knew nothing of the situation, therefore, making it useless to discuss the issue with him. Then again, Ratchet did need somebody to talk to and he knew it. "Demonator and I are having complications, that's all." He folded his arms.

"It's that other femme, isn't it?" Ironhide asked, sitting down on the ground before the medic.

Slowly, Ratchet did the same. "Yes."

"Hm," Ironhide huffed. "She's her sister, right?"

At that, Ratchet looked away, a scowl on his face. "No," he replied.

"No?"

Ratchet snapped his attention back to the older mech, who seemed to be thinking hard about who she could actually be. Ratchet rolled his optics. "Don't get your CPU all steamed up trying to think about it," he said. "Rammunition is-"

"Her spark mate," Ironhide finished bluntly.

Ratchet paused and froze. Then he shuffled uncomfortably. "Yes. How do you know?"

"I'm sure everybody does, Ratch'," Ironhide told him. "I didn't wanna say anything just in case you didn't know." The black-painted mech twirled his cannons around a couple times. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If Demonator wants to be this way, let her. Just don't let it bring you down."

"_Thanks_, Ironhide," Ratchet glared. He knew the mech was only trying to help him, but Ironhide wasn't very bright when it came to trying to make a mech feel better about his relationship issues. At least he wasn't now.

Ironhide didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. If he did, he ignored it. He nodded his head towards the left. "I see they're still buddy-buddies."

Ratchet directed his attention over to where Ironhide was now looking at. He saw Demonator and Sideswipe standing together, talking, but he couldn't hear them. He shook his head and looked away. "Not surprising. Sideswipe has probably had a thing for her for a few months now."

"I thought they were best friends?" Ironhide questions.

Ratchet shrugged, staring down at the ground as his fingers played in the dirt. "Same difference."

"Would you cut it out?" Ironhide bellowed, suddenly very annoyed with his friend's behavior.

The next thing Ratchet knew, he was being knocked over by the side. He was sprawled on the ground and he stared at Ironhide with wild, furious optics. "_What the slag was that for_?"

Ironhide stood up. "Stop being a big sparkling!" he snapped back, glaring down at the mech before him. "Demonator's an idiot for doing what she did to you. You need to be a mech and stick up for yourself. Now," he folded his arms. "Get up, soldier." Surprisingly, Ratchet found himself obeying and he stood up. Ironhide nodded in approval. "Good. Now dust yourself off and come get a cup of high grade with me. You need it." Again, Ratchet found himself obeying. What Ironhide lacked in relationship advice, he made up for in brute force and lecturing.

"Now I see the real reason why you're the weapons specialist," Ratchet muttered, walking side by side with his friend.

* * *

><p><strong>That same day.. ( AKA Day 2 since Rammunition's arrival)<strong>

"Demonator?" Demonator, who was talking to Sideswipe, stopped talking and turned around to face Optimus.

"Optimus?" She questioned back. "What?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her fully around. "May I talk to you in my office?" Demonator was about to protest, not wanting to discuss Rammunition or Ratchet at the time, but Optimus pressed on. "It concerns Shockwave."

Demonator's optics widened frantically. "How do you know-"

"Please," Optimus directed a hand in the direction of his office. "my office."

With a final, concerned look back at Sideswipe, she turned her back and walked with Prime to his own personal, makeshift quarters.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we're here," Demonator said calmly, sitting down in a chair before his desk. "Now what about Shockwave is so important?"<p>

Before replying, Optimus cleared his processors and took a seat. "In approximately five days, we may be attacked by the Decepticon armada. Unless," he paused, as if trying to think of a way to say it.

"Unless what?" Demonator's optics squinted, now fully alert.

"Unless Rammunition takes you back to Shockwave," he replied. "On Cybertron.."

Demonator looked confused. "And you'll allow this? Her taking me back, I mean."

"If it will prevent the death of multiple soldiers," Optimus began slowly before pausing. Then he nodded. "I'll have no choice but to force you to leave."

"Does Ratchet know?"

At that, Optimus looked away. "He understands your previous relationship with Shockwave, but he does not know of my decision to allow Rammunition to take you back." He returned his gaze back to her. "He won't be pleased."

Demonator looked surprised. "I didn't think he'd care."

"Demonator, Ratchet shows anger naturally like any of us would." Optimus explained. "He still has strong feelings for you, but he will refuse to show them due to the circumstances he's in."

"Well," she scoffed. "he told me to give up on us, so I suppose I'll be doing just that. I'll go back to Cybertron. There's nothing left for me here, Optimus. Earth isn't my true home and I've finally realized this."

"So, then it's settled?" Optimus asked carefully for confirmation. "You will go?"

She nodded. "I'll go."

As she stood up, Optimus nodded. "You will leave tomorrow morning. I'll inform Rammunition."

With a sigh, Demonator went to turn and leave, but she stopped mid-turn. "Keep this between us. Ratchet doesn't need to know."

"Are you sur-"

"I'm _positive,_" she snapped.

He paused. Demonator was about to open her mouth and say something else, but he stopped her.

"He won't know."

* * *

><p><strong>The lyrics are from the song <em>Space Bound<em> by Eminem, and I do not own it. :P I also don't own Transformers and its characters. Just my OCs.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Also note; Avenger is my OC and he is also named after a Monster Jam monster truck (because of my lack of creativity when it comes to names. xD).**

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, Ratchet had just woken up from recharge and wandered the base freely. Usually taking walks helped him think better than sitting around in his med bay alone, but when he continued his walking, he began to think even more, especially since everybody he walked near had given him strange looks and whispered amongst themselves. <em>What was going on,<em> he wondered, but he didn't really bother asking. Until he came across Sideswipe.

"Wanna tell me why every slagger on base keeps staring at me awkwardly?" Ratchet asked, arms folded. He wasn't impressed with all the secrets being kept from him lately and he assumed Sideswipe, of all mechs, would know.

Sideswipe shook his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, you didn't hear?"

Ratchet shrugged, eyes wide, as if indicating his annoyance. "Hear _what,_ Sideswipe?"

"Demonator left for Cybertron this morning with Rammunition."

Getting shot in the chest by a Decepticon or finding out that your favorite wrench was snapped in half? Either one didn't compare to what he was feeling now. His arms dropped to his sides helplessly. "_What_?" He gasped. His face dropped. "Why wasn't I told?" That was when he got in Sideswipe's face, glaring angrily.

Sideswipe glared back and shoved him away. "Because maybe you'd act like this, I dunno?" He folded his own arms. "I guess she didn't want you to know. _I _didn't even know until she was about to leave. They took the _Ark II_ about three hours ago."

Without hesitating, Ratchet nearly tripped over his own two feet as he dashed for Optimus's office.

* * *

><p>Rammunition turned her head to stare at Demonator, who was sitting in the next seat inside the <em>Ark II<em>. They were about to land on Cybertron in T-minus ten minutes. "I guess you hate me still, huh?"

Demonator's head slowly turned so her eyes could stare back at her spark mate's. She shrugged and looked away. "Well, I definitely don't _like_ you."

"I hope you know I'm only doing what needs to be done," Rammunition replied, staring straight ahead as she guided the ship back to their home. "I never wanted to hurt you willingly."

"Well, congratulations," Demonator spat. "You did exactly that."

They sat there for a couple minutes of silence. Cybertron was much bigger now and its gravity was already starting to pull the shuttle closer. As Rammunition put it in for a landing, Demonator could see multiple Decepticons waiting for greet them. She recognized a couple, including Avenger.

As the ship came to a halt, the door was opened and both femmes stood up. Before Demonator could exit first, Rammunition blocked her path with her arm. "I hope you know that I still care for you, Demon."

After staring at the femme for a few moments, Demonator shoved past her spark mate's arm and continued out of the _Ark II_. Unfortunately, the welcome wasn't too welcoming.

"Grab her!" Before Demonator had time to react, multiple hands came in contact with her armor and firmly grabbed a hold of her arms and wrists. She was kicked behind the knee joints, sending her falling on her knees on the ground before the others.

Those who weren't grabbing her stepped aside to create a makeshift path. Sure enough, she saw the one who she assumed she'd never see again walking towards her slowly. His single, crimson, eye burning through her own pair violently as he stopped in front of her and the others.

Lifting his arm, his hand made a shooing motion at those who held her, and soon, she felt her arms and wrists being released. Rubbing at them, she stood up and glared into his eye. "I guess this is how you treat your newcomers?" She began to dust herself off. Shockwave didn't respond. Instead, he nodded to Avenger, who grabbed her by her arm and lead her away from the scene. Before she knew it, she was being shoved inside a holding cell. The gate behind her locked. "It's nice to see you again, too," she growled.

Avenger paused and stared back. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I value my life and if you valued yours, you'd obey him, too."

"My right _finger_'_s _more threatening than he is," she rolled her optics.

He ignored that comment. "In five hours, you will be tested."

"Tested for what?" Demonator asked, nearly yelling, but it was too late. Avenger disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p>Optimus looked over at the door that had just swung open violently. Charlotte Mearing looked less than pleased at the scene, too. "Does anybody on this <em>slagging<em> base want to finally tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Optimus eyed his medical officer for a few seconds. "Ratchet, this needs to wait another time-"

"No, _Prime_, it does not," Ratchet snapped.

"Excuse me," Charlotte interrupted, "but I believe what Optimus said is correct. You need to leave. This meeting is important and the last time I checked, you weren't on the list."

Ratchet ignored her. He continued his death glare at Optimus. "You shipped Demonator off this rock without my knowing. I _demand_ you tell me _why_!"

"If you do not leave this office immediately, I will have you deported from this base, do you _hear_ me?" Mearing asked, raising her voice and her eyebrows with each word.

"Easy," Optimus reassured her and she seemed to sit back more comfortably in her chair, but her stern glare remained. Then, he looked at Ratchet. "Demonator asked that I keep her departure a secret from you until she left. She reached Cybertron safely-"

"Shockwave _wants_ her for reasons we are unsure of," Ratchet said darkly. "We could have sent her into a trap-"

"It was her choice, Ratchet."

"You've sent the only thing I've ever wanted away from me-"

"Ratchet," Optimus tried to interrupt.

"No!" The yellow-green medi 'Bot shouted. "I demand a lift to Cybertron."

"I can't allow that."

Ratchet's hands slammed against the top of Prime's desk. His eyes wilder than a blazing forest fire. "Then what _can_ you allow?"

"Enough!" Charlotte yelled, finally, standing up. She pointed a finger at the medic. "You will leave this office right now and _I_ will deal with you later. Optimus and I need to finish this meeting right this instant. I have an important schedule that needs to be fulfilled by the end of the day and seeing since you're the Chief Medical Officer of this here Autobot base, I'd imagine that you do, as well."

Ratchet paused, looked back and forth between the two bodies and stood straight. "Fine," he said flatly. He turned around, ready to walk back outside but he stopped himself. Turning his upper torso slightly, he pointed a finger at his leader. "If I hear anything has happened to her, the Decepticons won't be the only Cybertronians you'll be fearing."

Both human female and Autobot leader flinched as the door slammed shut.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh snap. Ratchet's pissed.<strong>

**It's short, I know! But I have a huuuge plan for next chapter. :D It should be much longer!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Small FYI- In the original 2009 Demonator fic (which was taken down), Demonator was a weapons specialist and part-time medic. Just making sure that's understandable so people don't think I made that up for the sake of this chapter. xD**

**She was also a Ford F-650 six door pickup truck (yes, they exist! Look it up on google images!)**

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?" Sideswipe whispered harshly, looking around to make sure nobody could be seen. The base was pitch black, with the exception of a few lights. He looked back at Ratchet, who seemed to be contemplating this himself.<p>

Standing tall in bipedal mode, he sighed at the aircraft before him. "I'm absolutely sure. I'm doing it now, stand by and keep a look out."

With a nod, Sideswipe cautiously stepped back, leaving his sensors on just in case somebody were to walk by. He watched as the green laser shot out of Ratchet's eyes and within just a few seconds later, Ratchet was transforming into his alternate mode; a Eurocopter EC145, aka a helicopter mainly used as an air ambulance.

"When will you be back?" Sideswipe asked, forgetting to be quiet. It was pointless now, because Ratchet's engine and propellers came to life instantly, breaking the silence.

Sideswipe watched as the helicopter shot up in the sky.

"Soon," Ratchet called. "Don't tell anybody."

He disappeared in the shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours later..<strong>

Five hours, like Avenger said, and Demonator found herself being forced awake from recharge. Two, unfamiliar 'Cons made her transform and walk to wherever she was to go next. They each held one of her arms tightly, but she didn't bother struggling. The walk lasted about fifteen minutes and she found herself the center of attention in a massive, ancient coliseum.

When the giant double doors shut behind her, she immediately knew what was going on. She looked around until she saw Shockwave, high on his throne. He was staring down at her, his face showing no sign of emotion. She looked around at the crowded arena. Decepticons were yelling and growling down at her.

Shockwave stood and all fell silent. "It's about time you're re-tested to see if your name is still worthy." On the other side of the arena, another pair of large doors opened and Demonator squinted her optics to see who was being dragged in next. Whoever it was, was pushed down to the ground violently and that's when she knew it was Rammunition. "You will fight," Shockwave said. "and the winner will be named the new Demonator."

"I won't do this!" Demonator yelled. "You can't possibly be serious?"

"Get into positions," Shockwave continued, ignoring her refusal.

She was about to protest more, but froze when she saw Rammunition stand up and get into position exactly like Shockwave had ordered. Her cannons spun to life and she eyed her opponent with a venomous gaze.

"Ram?" Demonator's optics widened in disbelief and for her own defense, she activated her own weapons.

"Fight her," Shockwave said, his voice higher-pitched as if taunting Demonator. "Perhaps you've gotten soft, femme?"

Demonator's ruby optics squinted up at him angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shockwave stood up, arms folded. "Has living with the Autobots made you soft? Do you _really_ think you have the right to be named Demonator?"

She knew what he was trying to do. She wished it wasn't working. Her weapons spun faster, ready to blast whatever got in her way, and of course, the only thing standing there was Rammunition.

"Perhaps you have a right to be titled _Shockwave_?" Demonator teased back, walking closer to the other femme while keeping her optics on her new, unwanted leader.

A series of gasps erupted all around them. It obviously was not every day a Cybertronian stood up for themselves in the presence of Shockwave. He growled furiously, "Enough!" All was silent. He pointed a finger down at Rammunition, but his eye remained firmly attached to Demonator. "Finish her off!"

With crimson eyes, Rammunition growled and her arms raised slowly, directing her cannons at her own bond-mate. Demonator hardly flinched. "You're really going to do this? Aren't you? You're willing to kill me?"

"You don't understand," she snapped back. "The Autobots have it easy. Here, you fight for your rights. You fight for your survival! Your freedom!" She took a giant step forward. "Shockwave's right. You've turned _soft_."

That was it.

"I have _not_!" Demonator snarled, lunging her body forward. Both femmes collided, and this time, there was no Optimus Prime to stop them. This time, Ratchet wasn't there to pull her away. It was just them. One on one.

Cheers exploded through the arena. Mechs and femmes clapped and hollered as the two females lashed and punched at one another. Shockwave sat back down eventually, pleased with this event.

"You don't even know who you are anymore!" Rammunition screamed, just before digging her claw-like fingers into her opponent's face. She grunted as Demonator's fist came in contact with her jaw, sending her sprawling backwards.

Demonator's cannon clicked and she aimed it steady at Rammunition, but the femme was too quick and dodged the attack, ramming her body into Demonator's, sending them both backwards. Trying to get up was a waste of time, because Rammunition had her pinned to the ground skillfully.

Doing the only thing that could come to mind, Demonator latched her feet against Rammunition's legs and placed her hands on her shoulders while flying forward as hard as she could. The maneuver was a success and Demonator found herself on top of her opponent.

"I know who I am," Demonator growled in Rammunition's ruby orbs. "You just forgot."

"Then tell me," Rammunition replied through gritted dental plates, all the while trying to struggle free, but Demonator had practiced this hold many times before and she knew there was no escape.

"Demonator."

Demonator could've sworn she saw a hint of a proud smile in Rammunition's face as the femme's joints tightened and she leaned her face close to her own. "_Prove it_." Those words somehow meant something to Demonator and for a brief second, her hands loosened their grip on Rammunition's armor.

Before Demonator could react, she found herself flying off of her opponent's body. Climbing to her feet slowly, Demonator stared down at the now helpless femme before her. As she raised her arm, cannon smoking with hunger to kill, she noticed Rammunition's entire body stopped shaking and simply froze. She knew what she had to do and both femmes stared at one another for a brief moment. All was silent and time paused.

And then in the blink of an eye, everybody gasped from surprise at the explosion of the familiar sound of cannon fire. All eyes rested down on the arena floor.

One femme stood tall-

and one.. had fallen.

For a second, Demonator had no idea what she had just done. Before she knew it, a sharp pain in the very back of her spark chamber made her collapse to her knees. She cringed, holding her torso as if it would fall off if she dare loosen her grip. She groaned, wanting to roll over on her back and cry for the rest of her life. Wanting to just kill her own self right then and there.

Moving to her knees, hands flat against the hard metal surface, she could only stare at the ground as the pain finally subsided. A clapping made her look up and she saw Shockwave stand up from his throne, slapping his hands together with what appeared to be a smirk on his face, but he was so ancient himself, it was difficult to tell for sure.

"Interesting battle," he complimented. "Short and to the point. The way somebody with your name _should make_ it."

Slowly standing up to wipe herself off, Demonator spat at the ground before making optic contact with the one-eyed Decepti-leader. "Glad you think so, but if you don't mind, I'd like to leave."

"And who said the test was over?" Shockwave asked, looking around as if asking everybody the question. As if it were a joke, a round of laughter burst all around her. He turned back to her. "You've one more task and if you complete it, your name will forever be rightfully yours, no questions asked."

"Just give me the task," Demonator huffed, directing her attention towards the two mechs who had come in to drag away Rammunition's body. She tried her best not to look. Instead, she focused as much attention as she could muster on Shockwave.

With a single nod to a Cybertronian down below, he simply sat back down at his throne and waited. Demonator averted her attention to the other mech, the one who Shockwave nodded to, and watched as a smaller set of doors opened.

Out from the blackness of the smaller doorway, another Decepticon, carrying a chain in one hand, walked over to Demonator. At the end of the chain was a sparkling. No older than a few Cyberdays at the most, the sparkling tried his best to struggle free of his bonds, but couldn't manage. They were too powerful.

"Kill the spawn."

That single order shocked Demonator. She looked around frantically, as if a magical escape route was to appear before her eyes and get her out of this hellish situation. She looked back down at the sparkling and then back up at Shockwave. "You want me to kill this sparkling?"

"If you do, you keep your name," Shockwave replied.

Shaking her head, she backed away slowly. "Screw it. I won't do it!"

Snarling, Shockwave stood up abruptly. "You _will_ do it! Or your Autobot scum friends will find themselves at the mercy of _my_ army and that medic of yours will cower at the feet of my _Driller_!"

Her eyes darted towards the little sparkling, who had large, green optics staring back at her fearfully. The little body was trembling viciously. What was worse? Shooting a helpless sparkling or being responsible for the death of a dozen innocent Autobots? Maybe if she closed her eyes..

With tears falling freely from her optics, Demonator did the only thing she could do. She raised her arm with her best cannon attached and aimed carefully. She stood there, dental plates gritted together tightly. The red-hot, ionic weapon whirred and spun. With just the single flick of a finger, it would be all over. She didn't have to look, right? The little sparkling wasn't going anywhere that would affect her aim.

Slamming her eyes shut, she froze in that spot. Everything was silent. Not even the creaking of Cybertron's metal crust could be heard. Not a single soul whispered amongst themselves. All simply stared.

The infant knew what was coming, despite his age, and cries of disapproval echoed from the tiny mech-to-be's vocal processors. If it weren't for the chains, he would've taken off running, but he was glued into place unwillingly.

_I only have one shot,_ she thought to herself. _One shot_.

Without even the slightest hint of a warning, Demonator's optics slammed open, her arm shot up higher and with only a half a second to aim properly, she fired that single shot. Everybody could do nothing but watch as the bullet sizzled past all their heads in an almost slow motion fashion and hit its target.

Shockwave's spark chamber.

Like a light switch, Shockwave was out. His body, dripping energon, went limp instantly and slid to the ground. Not wasting any more time than she had already, Demonator did the first thing that came to her mind.

Grab the sparkling.

Ripping the chains free, she yanked the little bot from the ground and took off for the arena doors. Guards, already prepared, blocked her path, but using her weapons specialist abilities, they were no match.

Bursting through the coliseum doors, she ran for the only place she could think of. The _Ark II._ All she had to do was pray it still had enough fuel to go departure Cybertron..

and pray she made it.

All hope seemed lost. She was reading a system malfunction within her processors and the next thing she knew, she felt weak. She toppled over, nearly crushing the sparkling underneath her, but she shoved him away just in time. She clutched her abdomen tightly, writhing in pain, gasping and grunting. What was happening?

She could hear the pounding footsteps of the Decepticons as they neared her, but there was little she could do.

"Kill her!" She heard somebody shout and she opened her eyes just in time to see a 'Con raise a large, metal staff in the air right next to her; its razor sharp tip threatening to tear her spark open. She slammed her optics shut and expected the worst.

But the worst never came.

She heard the sound of cannon fire and the grunt of the 'Con as he flew backwards in pain. She opened her optics, trying to ignore the searing agony enveloping her entire frame. She managed to turn her head just enough to see somebody running towards her. She did not recognize the red and white paint job of the mech, but she could never forget that face.

Ratchet's face.

The sparkling next to her crawled to her side, curling up against her metal skin. Giving up some strength, she wrapped an arm around the tiny infant, pulling him closer. Another wave of agony shot straight through the middle of her body, the source of it all being her spark, and she screamed. Her vision was starting to go black and her hearing was fading. She was dying and she knew it.

More gun shots in the background were heard.. and then it all vanished.

"Demonator!" Ratchet yelled, dodging attacks and firing more shots as he got closer. When an unexpected bullet hit him dead on in the arm, he cried out and stumbled backwards. Holding his arm, he desperately searched for an escape route, but found out that he was surrounded.

A deep chuckle made him glare in the direction in which it came from. He raised his weapons and stared hard at the smirking face before him. A Decepticon who he didn't recognize raised his own weapons as he continued to taunt the medic. "On your knees and pray to Primus, you slimy Autobot!"

"You'll have to kill me first," Ratchet growled, seeming to be completely fearless.

Another chuckle from the dark blue Decepticon, "Then good _riddance_,"

Ratchet closed his optics tight, expecting the pain any second. He heard the explosion from the cannon and he heard the bullet whiz past his head.. but this bullet came from _behind _him. Instead of him crying out in pain, Ratchet heard the Decepticon cry out and stumble to the ground before Ratchet's feet.

turning around sharply, Ratchet looked behind him only to see nine familiar mechs running forward, firing round after round of cannon fire. It was Optimus and a few other Autobots.

"Ratchet," Optimus shouted out, dodging some missiles and continuing his firing. "Transform and get Demonator out of here! We'll be behind you!"

"I thought I told you not to tell anybody!" Ratchet growled at Sideswipe, who fired away not too far behind.

Sideswipe took cover and smirked at the CMO, "Yeah, because you were _totally_ gonna get Demonator and bring her back as easy as one, two, three." A cannon shot from a Decepticon crashed into the ground near him, shooting up debris. Sideswipe grunted, shielding his face. "Hurry the slag up!"

Wanting to waste no more time, Ratchet didn't even reply as he spun around and ran towards Demonator's motionless body. When he reached her, he transformed into the Eurocopter mode, attached a line to her body, picking her up, and got ready to take off. He was about to book it out of Cybertron when he noticed the smaller pair of optics staring up at him eagerly. The sparkling.

Without a second thought, Ratchet lowered himself just enough for the sparkling to jump up into his alternate mode and then he shot off into the sky.

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><p><strong>Wow.. this was pretty long.. and hopefully good. xD There's more to it for next chapter, but I have to stop now before it gets too long, so consider this a cliffhanger!<strong>

**Thanks for the reviews guys! And also thanks to MoxieRox96 for helping to improve my idea by allowing me to use some of hers! :D (You'll see more of her idea for next chapter!)**


	8. Chapter 8

"Everybody back up!" Will Lennox shouted as Ratchet's temporary alternate mode landed on the helipad, being careful as not to bang up Demonator's limp body. When he did so, the sparkling jumped out.

"Grab that sparkling!" Ironhide shouted quickly and Bumblebee took the liberty of doing that himself. "Don't know where it came from, so make sure he stays put, Bee and _don't let him go._" Bumblebee nodded.

Ratchet transformed, releasing the line that was attached to Demonator. He pointed at Sideswipe, "You, help me lift her in the med bay and hurry the hell up." Sideswipe did as told and together, the two mechs lifted her in the air and carried her as fast as their legs could muster, towards the med bay. Placing her carefully on a berth, Ratchet immediately got to work. "Get me the wrenches and wire cutters over on that table, now,"

Nearly tripping on his own two feet, Sideswipe hurried across the med bay and grabbed the tools, aggressively placing them on the nearby table. "What're you gonna do?"

"Figure out what's wrong," Ratchet replied and Sideswipe watched as he pulled open her chest plates with force, revealing her spark. "Slag," he breathed. "It's almost completely out-"

"Wait, what the hell does that mean?" Sideswipe asked, "Is she dying?" He got no answer. Glaring, Sideswipe shoved Ratchet. "Answer me, you fragger! _Is_ she _dying_?"

Ratchet did reply this time, but he did not answer the question. "Grab that defibrillator over there," With a groan, Sideswipe did as told, but was not expecting the next thing Ratchet was going to say. "Turn it on and wait for my orders."

"Wait, you're making _me_ do it?" He nearly yelled.

"Yes! I need to hold the plates in place so they do not move. If I send the shock through the plates by accident, it could cause more damage," Ratchet explained impatiently. "And like pit I'm letting _you _do it. Now, get in position!"

"But, I'm not a doctor-" Sideswipe tried to yell.

"Well, you are now!" Ratchet snarled, getting in his faceplates while managing to hold Demonator's chest plates apart. "Do it!" Closing his eyes, Sideswipe leaned forward, the defibrillator in his hands. "Don't close your optics, you imbecile! Primus knows what the hell you'll accidentally shock.."

"I'm nervous!" Sideswipe complained, opening his optics back up. Reaching forward, he attached the pads to where they needed to go and pressed the buttons. A jolt of energy burst out, sending Demonator's body into a spasm.

Just as quickly as it happened, it stopped. Demonator was motionless. "Do it again!" Ratchet ordered and Sideswipe did. Still nothing. "Again, dammit!"

"I don't think it's working!" Sideswipe yelled, but did it again anyway. The femme remained lifeless.

Releasing the plates, Ratchet grabbed the paddles from Sideswipe's hands and shoved him aside. "Pull open the chest plates. Hurry!"

Sideswipe did as told and held them open as far as they could go. Without warning, Ratchet immediately shocked the spark chamber repeatedly, not even pausing for two seconds between each jolt. "Ratchet, stop!" Sideswipe could tell the medic was over-doing it. He was anxious and worried. "Ratchet, knock it off! Stop it!" Releasing the chest plates, Sideswipe lunged for the CMO, tackling him to the ground.

"Get off me!" Ratchet yelled, trying to struggle free.

"No," Sideswipe replied. "Ratch'," he paused, staring the yellow 'Bot deep in the optics. "Ratchet, she's gone."

"_No_!" Ratchet yelled, shoving Sideswipe hard enough to make him land a few feet away.

"Would you listen to me for one _god_damn second?" Sideswipe growled, standing up. "Ironhide found Rammunition's body." That's when Ratchet did give him his attention. "She was dead. The bond they both shared made Demonator's spark fail. There's nothing that can reverse it. You should know that!"

That's when Ratchet froze. "What if there was?"

Sideswipe looked more hurt than angry. He looked offended. "Shut the hell up. It's not funny, you afthole. I just lost my best friend! Now's not the time to play _scientist_."

"Do I look like I'm fragging laughing?" Ratchet growled. "What if there _was a way_ to reverse it?"

"Then you'd be a slagging genius for figuring it out, and I hate to burst your bubble, but you're friggin' _stupid-_"

"Shut up!" Ratchet clenched his fist and glared daggers at the jokester. "Open her chest plates."

"Why-?"

"Just _do _it!" the medic yelled. Sideswipe obeyed and held them open, but didn't hesitate to roll his optics at the older mech. Slowly, Ratchet's hands gripped his own and he pulled them open.

"What are you doing?" Sideswipe asked, optics buried in Ratchet's glowing spark chamber. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"

"Lift her up and keep the chamber exposed," Ratchet said, ignoring him.

"This is dumb," Sideswipe mumbled, but did as ordered anyway. When Demonator was in a sitting position, her neck slumped to one side, her optics totally dim.

Ratchet could see the hint of a glow in her chamber. It was fading fast. Whatever energon was left inside her, he had to make use of right now for this to work. It _had_ to work. There was no scientific law, no nothing, that said this would not work. He had to at least try.

Pushing himself forward, fully understanding the consequences of doing something never before tested, he got closer. He could already feel his spark tingle and jump, but he wasn't sure if it was because it was working or if it was because he was nervous.

He shut his optics tight as both of their chambers came into contact and that's when it happened. A blinding light, even powerful enough to penetrate the protective shields of Sideswipe's optic s, making him look away, erupted from the core of where their chambers were touching. Flashes of what looked like lightning and a loud electrical hum escaped and was so strong, glass jars and beakers in the med bay shattered just as easy as egg shells.

Ratchet growled, trying his best to maintain his hold on his plates to insure they did not close. He could feel his knees shake and just when he thought he was about to offline, the humming stopped, the flashes of light ceased and both chambers silenced. Then, without warning, a large electrical jolt made Ratchet fly backwards and land on his back while Demonator's body did the same, taking Sideswipe with her.

Then all was silent once more and this time, it was for good.

Sideswipe groaned, rubbing his head while he stood up. "Ratchet?" He looked down at the medic. "Ratchet, are you alright?"

Slowly, Ratchet's dim optics brightened and he, too, sat up straight before climbing to his feet. "I'm.. fine. Where is Demonator?"

Sideswipe looked down at the floor, his optics dimming. "She's still out. It didn't work." Ratchet could only stare in silence. Sideswipe went to reach out for him. "I'm sorry, man-"

"Shh!" Ratchet shushed, holding a hand up in front of the silver, smaller mech's face, his optics still directed at the femme on the floor.

Confused, Sideswipe followed Ratchet's gaze to the floor and sure enough, they rested on Demonator. It wasn't noticeable at a glance, but if he stared long enough, Sideswipe could see that she was trembling just a little. Her fingers twitched and before he knew it, her optics faded from nothing, to the familiar red. Although they weren't fully brightened, they were still on and that at least counted for something.

Then, making Sideswipe flinch from surprise, Demonator's optics grew brighter to their full capacity and she jolted forward. Hands to her chest plates, she made gasping noises, as if a Human were gasping for air.

Understanding instantly, Ratchet grabbed a canister and ran over to her. Opening the canister's top, he poured the blue liquid into her mouth, some of it dripping down her chin plating. "Demonator!" He whispered, pulling the canister away. He rubbed a hand against her face. "Demonator, speak to me!" He stared at her in the optics, hoping she could speak. His spark dropped when her optics drifted away and rolled back a few times. Why wasn't she making proper contact? "Something's not right," Ratchet told himself.

Sideswipe furrowed his optic ridges in concern. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"Help me stand her up," Ratchet ordered, standing up himself. Sideswipe nodded without hesitation and together, the two managed to get Demonator on her feet.

Carefully removing their hands from her armor, both mechs stepped backwards to give her some space.. but, she took one step closer and tumbled back down to the ground. Her body went into spasms and she coughed and gagged when energon came up and out of her mouth.

"Ratchet!" Sideswipe hollered, his spark panicking. What was wrong with his best friend? "She's seizing."

"I can see that," Ratchet tried his best not to be rude to the mech. After all, Sideswipe was just as worried, but the fact that even Ratchet had no idea what was happening made his temper short. He quickly kneeled down to her and put his hands on her body, trying his best to help control her seizing, but he knew it was useless.

"I-I-I-I," she managed to stutter out, but couldn't find the strength to form the rest of her sentence.

"Shh," Ratchet gently ran a hand along her cheekplates as her body stopped seizing and began to twitch randomly. She could not seem to make optic contact for long and her fingers were curled in, as if they were stuck that way.

"Ratchet, what's wrong with her?" Sideswipe begged to know. He _had_ to know what was going on. Would she be okay? Was there hope for survival? Was her life even at risk at all? He _needed_ to know.

"She's going through some sort of mental illness due to the spark-bonding," he replied slowly. He dipped his head, his chin touching his neck. He shut his optics tightly, feeling the lubricant drip from his optics. "This is _all_ my fault."

"Can it be cured?" Sideswipe asked frantically. "_Please_ tell me it can, Ratchet!"

Ratchet's optics opened slowly once more and he lifted his head to look up at the other mech. He shook his head and Sideswipe fell to the ground in a massive, upset, metal heap. "I don't know."

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><p><strong>Whoo! Wasn't expecting that, huh? :D<strong>

**I do hope people are enjoying this and I'm sorry for the lack of updating! I just stumbled across this idea, so look forward to more updates soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm responding to the reviews I got for LAST chapter, but I do want everybody else to know that I appreciate all the reviews, alerts and favorites! Means a ton!**

**JasmineChyanne: Thank you! Glad you like it and I hope you like this one, too!**

**bee-roxs98: Thanks for reviewing. I'm really honored you like it. :D Haha yes, I'm trying to keep it dramatic and not boring, so I hope you like this chapter, as well!**

**Thanks again, everyone!**

**Don't be a stranger to this story! I truly believe it's one of my better stories on here. :D**

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><p>"How is she?" Optimus looked concerned as he walked up and stood next to the medic.<p>

Hours had gone by since the discovery of Demonator's mental disability, and she had been put into a forced recharge to see if that would cure anything. "I'm not sure," Ratchet sighed, refusing to make optic contact with Prime. "She hasn't woken yet."

Optimus looked away, but then placed a gentle hand on Ratchet's shoulder. "This is not your fault, Ratchet. You believed what you were doing could help. It was unknown what the outcome would be. You did your absolute best and.. the good news is that she is alive."

"Yes, but now she is forced to suffer with a disability that can probably never be cured," Ratchet snapped angrily. "And it _is_ my fault. If I wasn't so stubborn and just accepted her the way she was before all of this happened, she wouldn't have left and she wouldn't be like this now." For the first time, Optimus wasn't sure what to say to his friend and when he was silent for more than ten seconds, Ratchet finally spoke for him. "I need to go check on her."

With a silent nod, Optimus watched him go.

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><p>Ratchet sped to the med bay. No words could describe how badly he wanted to see her; how badly he wanted everything to be normal again, but he knew that may never happen. As he turned a corner, the med bay became visible and he walked inside. Demonator, to his surprise, was awake. Her optics wandered the entire room curiously from her seated position on the floor. When she sensed his presence, she stared at him the entire time as he got closer to her.<p>

"Demon?" He questioned, bending down to look her in the face. "Demon, are you feeling better?"

There was a long pause before she opened her mouth, but all that came out was a static noise. She closed her mouth instantly, as if she _knew_ something was wrong with her, too. "I," she managed to blurt out, but nothing more. "I-I-"

"Sh, Demon," Ratchet sighed, sitting down on the floor next to her. He took her in his arms and her head rested gently against his chest. "I'm sorry for doing this to you. I wish I could reverse it." His cooling fans switched on as he felt his body begin to vibrate.. she was trembling viciously. He clamped his optics shut, a loud whimper escaped his vocals as he held her even tighter, the liquid running down his faceplates once more that the humans called _tears_. "Primus, I'm _so_ sorry, Demonator. I'm sorry."

"I-I-" She tried again, her body calming down again. Ratchet pressed his mouth against her forehead and shut his optics. "I l-love y-yo-u,"

That was when Ratchet's optics shot open wide and at first, he stared at her with a dumb expression on his face. Did she just say- "Oh, Demon!" He cried, holding her tighter. "I love you so much, sweetspark." He took her face in his hands, thinking and _hoping_ her illness was fading away and was only temporary, but when her optics began to drift away from him and her entire body went limp again, he frowned. "Demonator, can you hear me?"

There was no response.

"Is she okay?"

Ratchet's head snapped to the direction of the new voice and he saw Sideswipe standing there, looking more than concerned.

The medic shook his head, "She's acting strange, still.. it's.. like nothing I've experienced with a patient. One second she acknowledges my presence, and the next she acts as if she doesn't even notice I'm here."

"Great, so in other words, she's still fragging _psycho_-"

"Sideswipe!" Ratchet roared in fury without thinking and before he could react, Demonator had jolted up and out of his arms. Shoving past Sideswipe, she burst through the med bay doors and outside. "_Dammit_, Sides!"

"I hope you at least took her cannons off of her!" Sideswipe yelled as they chased the femme. To their luck, she stumbled into Ironhide and fell to the ground, dragging the weapons specialist down with her.

"What the _pit_-" Ironhide grunted as soon as he hit the ground. "Femme, what the slag are you doin'!"

"Ironhide, don't yell at her," Ratchet explained gently. "She is going through massive trauma right now."

Ironhide tried his best to help the femme up, but her body was trembling so violently, her knees kept giving in and she slid back down to the ground without control. "Help me get 'er up, then," Ironhide said.

Ratchet helped as much as he could and.. when worst finally came to worst, Ironhide was forced to use all his strength to lift the femme up into his arms. Together, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe walked back to the med bay.

"I'm sorry, Ratchet," Sideswipe began. "I'm just really stressed out about all of this. I didn't mean for that to happen-"

"It's alright, Sides," Ratchet tried to reassure him, placing his hand on the twin's shoulder. "I understand."

Sideswipe froze. It wasn't often Ratchet was so understanding of the twin prankster. Sideswipe suddenly felt bad for all the jokes he'd pulled on the medic. This whole Demonator situation was definitely taking a toll on him. "No, it's not alright! I can't stand seeing you suffer through it. You deserve better than this, Ratch', and I know I've done some stupid things to piss you off, but I just really wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Well, that's a fraggin' first," Ironhide grunted, folding his arms after he placed her on the ground.

Ratchet sighed and placed a friendly arm around Sideswipe's shoulders. "I appreciate it, Sideswipe, but right now you need to stop being a slagging sparkling and get your head straight. Understood?" Sideswipe smirked with a nod and Ratchet removed his arm. "Demonator needs us now more than ever. I need to run some tests, but you're more than welcome to try and talk to her."

Sideswipe nodded and slowly walked up to Demonator. Ironhide eyed Demonator curiously. "What's the matter with her?" He tried waving a hand in her face, but she didn't seem to be paying attention to him.

Both Sideswipe and Ratchet exchanged glances. They really hadn't said anything to anybody about Demonator's illness, except to Optimus. The twin was the first to reply. "She's going through some sort of mental illness because of the forced bond that Ratchet did in order to keep her alive."

"Permanent?" Ironhide asked.

Ratchet shrugged, "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before.. never knew anybody who has. So far there isn't a cure, but I'm sure I have treatments and such."

"Hey, Demon," Sideswipe began, bending down to get in her face. "Hey, can you hear me?" He gently took her chin in his hand and directed her face towards him. "Demonator," her optics looked back into his own. "Can you say my name? Can you say 'Sideswipe'?" She stared at him for a moment before looking away, to his disappointment. Her optics wandered and she trembled every once in a while. Her hands and arms were constantly in motion. She grabbed at her armor, rubbed her hands together and would occasionally stretch out her arms.

"It's strange seeing her like this," Ironhide's British accent commented.

"Hey, look at me," Sideswipe told Demonator, redirecting her face back to him. "Fight it. _Control_ it. I know you can understand me," he said and to his surprise, she stared back at him, as if she really could.

"I doubt that," Ironhide scoffed. "Doesn't seem like she can understand a damn thing."

"Actually," Ratchet interrupted, examining data pads and computer screens. "She probably can. I just got my test results back from earlier. I assumed the spark was the issue, considering that's how it all started, but now that I'm looking at these results, I see no sign of stress coming from the spark. If anything, the weather's beautiful in there."

"CPU?" Ironhide asked and Sideswipe looked up for Ratchet's answer.

Ratchet sighed, "I.. well, it's definitely a mental problem, that's for sure. I believe she can understand what we say and how we act, but she just simply can't return the favor. She can't talk correctly, walk without help or act straight."

"Wouldn't that make it a _physical_ disability?" Sideswipe asked, confused.

Ratchet groaned and ran a hand down his face. "Well.. I'm not sure if she can actually understand us.. I'm just saying that there is a chance. She has shown signs."

"What kinda signs?" the weapons specialist asked, not looking very convinced.

Ratchet stood straight and replied with a gentleness to his tone, "She told me she loved me."

At that, Ironhide snorted. "Clearly she didn't understand what she was saying. Definitely mental-looking to me."

Ratchet frowned and Sideswipe glared at Ironhide. "Shut the hell up, you over-sized Tonka truck. If Ratchet says she can understand us, then she can." He looked back at his best femme friend. "I _know_ you can understand me." Demonator simply stared back at him and slowly, _very slowly_, her head nodded once. Sideswipe grinned. "We just need to work on it some more. Can you try and say 'Sideswipe'? Say '_Sideswipe'_."

"S-" Demonator began, but did not finish.

"Close!" Sideswipe told her. "Try again. '_Sideswipe'_."

"S-Si-d-"

"Please, try not to stress her too much," Ratchet warned.

"I know," Sideswipe replied. "Just trying to help her."

Ratchet only watched the two carefully, as did Ironhide. After a few more times of trying to get her to say his name, Sideswipe finally gave up and stood back up all the way. He walked over to Ratchet as Ironhide left the med bay to get back to his duties, and as the medic and twin talked about future plans in dealing with the issue, a soft, but crystal clear word perked both of their audio receptors.

"_Sideswipe._"

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><p><strong>Hope its good!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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><p>"Did she just-?" Sideswipe began.<p>

"I-I think so," Ratchet managed to stutter, getting to his feet.

"S-Sideswipe," came Demonator's voice again. Both Sideswipe and the medic dashed to her side, bending down to her level. Ratchet placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him. "R-R-Ratch'."

"If you can understand what I'm saying to you, nod your head now," Ratchet demanded. Slowly, she did as told and Ratchet slapped a hand to his chest, sighing with relief. "Primus, I was right. She _can_ understand us."

"So it is a physical disability, then?" Sideswipe asked, confused. "I mean.. clearly she's mentally stable, right?"

Ratchet nodded, "Yes, but.. I'm still not sure. The fact that she can understand us might be temporary. For example, one minute she could understand us, and the next, she could.. have the attention span of a goldfish, if you will."

"So..." Sideswipe began, "It can still be mental?"

"Exactly," Ratchet nodded. "Though I hope that's not the case."

"This _sucks_," Sideswipe growled. "I feel like I'm going to wake up any minute now and this is all going to be just some bad dream, you know?"

"I wish it was," Ratchet agreed. "but she needs us now. More than she ever has. It's our job to make sure we get her as close to normal again as possible."

Sideswipe nodded and together, the two watched Demonator carefully for the next few minutes before Ratchet got back to work and Sideswipe sat next to the femme, keeping her company.

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><p>A few more days had come and gone and still, Demonator's symptoms remained. Ratchet constructed his own medications to try and give her, but nothing seemed to work. In fact, it seemed to make it worse.<p>

"Ratchet!" Sideswipe yelled out in fear.

Ratchet rushed to his side, helping to hold Demonator in place so she didn't knock anything over or hurt herself by mistake. "Just hold her still, but do so gently."

"This is the eighth time today," Sideswipe confirmed.

"I know," Ratchet sighed just as Demonator's body stopped shaking and slowly went back to 'normal'. Finally, she ceased to move and Ratchet sighed again, standing up straight. Sideswipe did the same. "I need to talk to Prime about this. I think I have an idea about how to cure her.. but we need somebody else to help get the job done."

"Wait, what's the idea?" Sideswipe asked frantically, getting in the medic's face. "Tell me!"

"I don't want to spoil it or get any hopes up too high," Ratchet shook his head. "So don't ask. Just give me my space to get slag done."

The twin nodded repeatedly in excitement and saluted with a hand. "Right! But for now, before you start.. wanna get some high grade?"

Even Ratchet wasn't going to deny a cube or two.

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><p>"Am I having vision malfunctions, or is Ratchet <em>really<em> having a deep conversation with Sideswipe _peacefully_?" Ironhide asked and then added, "while drinking high-grade?"

Will shrugged and snorted. "No, you're vision's fine, but.. they've been acting like better friends ever since Demonator.. you know.. was knocked out. Speaking of, you know what's wrong with her? She hasn't come out of the med bay since she got back."

Ironhide was about to confront the Colonel on how stupid he was, but then he paused.. realizing that Will had no idea what happened to her. "Will," the mech cleared his throat. "Demonator is suffering from a mental illness."

Will frowned, "What're you talking about? How?"

Ironhide sighed, "When Demonator's body was brought back, she was already dying-"

"Because she killed Ram, right?" Will asked.

Ironhide nodded. "Correct. Anyway, Ratchet, in order to keep her alive, forced a bond with her. It worked.. but because of it, she's now suffering from a mental illness. Well.." Ironhide sighed heavily. "Sideswipe is trying to convince him that it's a physical problem and that she can understand what they say and do."

"So, if it's just a physical problem, what're they gonna do?" Lennox asked.

Ironhide shrugged at that, not sure what to say. "I don't know. That's what they'll have to figure out, I guess."

Before Will could even nod or blink, a loud explosion erupted in the distance. Fully alert, Ironhide activated his cannons without a second thought and aimed them in the direction the noise had come from. Ratchet and Sideswipe, on the other hand, were already running towards the med bay.. which, coincidentally enough, was where the med bay was.

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><p>Ratchet was the first to burst through the med bay doors. "Demonator?" He yelled frantically, searching the large room. One of the med bay walls had been blown out and Demonator was nowhere inside. "Slag! Sideswipe, search the area!" Ratchet ran as fast as he could to the other side of the med bay and grabbed his PA system. Optimus had ordered one installed in case of emergency. <strong>"All human beings: report to any nearby building and <strong>_**stay**_** there. This isn't a drill. It's an order. All Autobots: stay outside and stay alert!"**

"Medic!" Ironhide roared as he entered the med bay. "What the slag's goin' on here?"

"Demonator got out," Ratchet replied quickly as he dashed past the weapons specialist. "Look for her! She's heavily armed!"

Ironhide looked baffled. "Well, why in the _pit_ does she have weapons to begin with if she's not mentally _or_ physically stable to use them?"

Ratchet had no time to argue. "Just get the damn job done, Ironhide! Find her!"

Ironhide didn't think or hesitate; he ran.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffy and the short chapter! D:<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so I know I did not post an author's note on this story earlier, but the reason why this update is so late, is because I just got out of surgery a couple weeks ago, so i've been recovering and dealing with make-up school work, as well as my actual job. So I'm sorry! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Fragging wonderful, Ratchet," Ironhide muttered to himself as he laid-low behind a hangar, peaking around at the empty space that had once been filled with soldiers who were getting their job done.<p>

They had been ordered to remain in the safety of the closest buildings they could reach and stay there until the situation had been taken care of. The only soldiers who were excused and permitted to stay out were the ones who mainly made the orders; Robert Epps and Will Lennox.

Demonator had been gone for at least an hour or two, which gave Ratchet some time to thoroughly explain his plan to Prime as Ironhide completed the search.

Ironhide had gotten Demonator's signal finally, which wasn't too far away, and had ordered the two humans to herd her out of hiding. As he saw both human allies get closer to his signal, Ironhide readied his cannons for fire.

**:You best not be using those ion cannons on her.:** Ironhide growled at the sudden voice that penetrated his internal communications line. It was Ratchet.

Trying not to take too much attention off Will and Epps, Ironhide managed to reply. **:She is unstable and armed. That's a threat in my book.:**

**:Well, your book sucks.:** Sideswipe's voice was heard next. **:If you hurt her, Ratchet isn't the only one who'll be plummeting your aft to the ground, old-timer.:**

Ironhide was about to make a rude remark back, but Optimus Prime's voice cut in the conversation. **:Enough, you three. Epps and Lennox are about to get everything started. Ironhide, this is not target practice. We will take her down with the plan we discussed earlier.:**

**:You mean this pathetic cannon that fires nets? As if that's going to hold Demonator. She's not a mini-con.: **Ironhide rolled his optics.

**:They have been successfully tested on Cybertronians just as tall as her. Just use them, Ironhide, or I'll send your scrap parts to Wheeljack for studying.: **Ratchet told him.

Ironhide, like usual, was going to respond viciously, but at that point, a loud explosion had erupted in the direction Epps and Lennox had snuck over to, and the next thing the black mech knew, Demonator was wobbling her way out of the smoke and debris, nearly tripping on her own two feet.

**:I don't think we need the nets.: **It was obvious Sideswipe was trying not to laugh. **:She just might take out herself.:**

Ratchet glared over at him from where his position was before growling and taking off around the corner. "Demonator, _stop!_" Demonator managed to stop as much as she could, but her legs still shook. She turned her head to look over at Ratchet, and just when Ratchet thought he was going to be able to grab a hold of her and just hug her to his chest, he stopped dead in his tracks as her arm rose in the air and her cannon activated.

"Ratchet, watch it!" Ironhide yelled, activating his ion cannon and aiming it right back at Demonator. _Count on Ratchet to screw up our plan,_ he thought to himself.

"Ironhide, stand down," Optimus cut in, holding a hand up at his weapons specialist.

Ironhide shook his head. "No can do, Prime. She's not stable in the mind enough to know what she's doing. She could easily hurt any one of us."

"Demonator," Ratchet began slowly, his arms in the air as if he were a human who had just been confronted by police officers wielding guns. "Put the cannon down. You're not well. I can help you and I know you want me to help you, too. Control yourself and put your arm.. down."

With shaky knees and a slightly shaken arm, too, Demonator's red optics squinted into a glare at her bond mate. "Y-y-ou.. did.. th-this to m-m-me."

Ratchet's arms fell immediately and he glared back. "I _saved_ you!"

"_Ratchet_," Optimus warned and Ironhide only aimed his cannons harder. Prime knew this was not the time for Ratchet to argue with her.

Demonator's optics shut and she placed her free hand over her face. Her cannon, however, still remained aimed at Ratchet. "I-I'm sorr-sorry. I- can't-"

"I know," Ratchet's voice was calm and gentle, as if he were talking to a minor. He also took note that she was slowly starting to get her speech back. "I know you can't control what you say and what you do, but I want to help you, darling. So, just put the cannon down for me, sweetspark, and we can figure this out together."

Sideswipe's optics softened at Ratchet's words. Of all the years he'd known the medic, it was odd hearing words as calming, loving and encouraging as those ones he had just said come from Ratchet's mouth. If there was a such thing as a true, never-ending love, it was definitely between those two.

Everybody, including Epps and Lennox, watched carefully at the scene before them. Suddenly, Demonator's legs began to shake even more and Ratchet found himself jumping forward just in time to catch her before she fell. Although he was generally a strong Cybertronian, her body height and mass combined sent them both to the ground in a massive, metal heap.

"Are you both alright?" Will asked, keeping his distance.

Ratchet's optics shut and he leaned in to place a small kiss on Demonator's cheek plating. "We're fine," he nodded, keeping his arms secure around her torso. "Optimus, I don't mean to be _rude_, but.. could you get your sorry aft over here and pick her up for me? She needs to go to the med bay immediately. Sideswipe, you're coming with me so we can work on our plan."

"You're finally going to tell me what it is?" Sideswipe asked.

Ratchet nodded as Optimus picked up Demonator and carried her bridal-style. She did not struggle, nor did she flinch. She simply allowed herself to be carried away, shutting her optics almost peacefully.

"Do you want to share with me the plan that we _never_ went over together?" Sideswipe asked Ratchet almost angrily as he followed closely behind the yellow 'Bot. "Because Demonator is also _my_ best friend, and I'd like to know what science project you'll be doing on her next."

"It's not a scie- just _listen_ to me, Sideswipe," Ratchet growled, spinning around and pointing a finger in Sideswipe's face. "Don't give me any problems. You know _damn_ well that I would never make Demonator my guinea pig. I'm doing this for her survival and for her safety."

"Then tell me what's going on," Sideswipe demanded to know as Optimus rested Demonator's limp body on a nearby berth.

"Wheeljack is on his way with armor parts," Ratchet began. "I've discovered that Demonator's issue is not a mental one, it's a physical issue. Just like you predicted. So, I've decided that.. I'm going to put her into a full-body surgery. Her spark and central processers will be removed, and will be placed into a new _body_, if you will. She will still be the same femme we all know and love, and, with any luck, she will be in much better condition."

"Sounds to me like this could be suicide," Sideswipe folded his arms, giving Ratchet a concerned stare down.

Ratchet looked away. "There is a chance she.. might not make it.. but, honestly, if I were in this position, I would rather be deceased than forever scarred. As for how her death would affect me, it would be a necessary sacrifice. Whether or not we are bonded, I can't simply _live _without her."

"I have faith in your skills," Optimus cut in. "And, I think I speak for everybody else, as well."

"You'll do good, Ratchet," Sideswipe nodded in agreement. "For once, this is me putting aside all the fun and games. You're a great medic. Don't ever change, fragger."

"I thought you said no fun and games," Ratchet rolled his optics, but laughed anyway. It felt good to laugh. "Thank you, both. Wheeljack will be arriving _very_ shortly.. I give it about ten minutes until he lands."

"What kind of design is the new armor?" Sideswipe asked out of curiosity.

Ratchet shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope it's appropriate for her personality and attitude. Don't want her to walk around in pink armor that is a size too small, now do we?"

At that, Sideswipe and Optimus shook their heads rapidly in agreement, chuckling together for the first time in a long time.

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><p><strong>I finally managed to update something! Sorry guys, but thank you so so so so so much for sticking by my side! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!<strong>


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